By Jim Dower: Former WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 KO’s) finds himself in a familiar situation next month with his back against the wall facing Andre Berto (28-1, 22 KO’s) with a lot of boxing fans questioning his ability.

Berto and Ortiz will be fighting at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada in a fight that’s difficult to pick a clear winner in. Ortiz, 24, defeated Berto by a 12 round unanimous decision last year in April in an exciting fight that saw both guys hit the deck. It was a war for six rounds until Bert ran out of fuel in the 6th round and had to cover up to survive the last half of the fight.

Ortiz showed clearly that he had the better stamina in the fight that proved to be the difference between them. Ortiz followed that win with a bizarre 4th round knockout loss to unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. last September. That was Ortiz’s moment in the sun and he completely ruined it for himself by losing his cool when he was getting dominated by Mayweather in the 4th and reacted badly to it by head-butting him.

Ortiz was taken out after he wouldn’t stop apologizing to Mayweather. He let his guard down and Mayweather popped him with a left-right combination to score a knockout while referee Joe Cortez was distracted looking at the time keeper. Now Berto and Ortiz are set to do it again, but this time there won’t be a title on the line, as Ortiz lost his World Boxing Council belt to Mayweather and Berto vacated his IBF title that he captured from Jan Zaveck last year in September.

I expect the rematch to go pretty much like the first fight with Berto fighting really well for four or five rounds and then gassing out and getting dominated by the much busier Ortiz in the second half of the fight. Ortiz is vulnerable in the early going and there’s a possibility that Berto can get him out if he can land some big shots and then flurry on Ortiz. But Berto has to be careful because when he throws a lot of punches, he gasses out and unlike normal fighters that get their second wind, Berto stays gassed out for the remainder of the fight.